The government is promising voters “the same transparency” in online election and referendum campaigns as they get in leaflets and on posters.
It wants material from parties and campaign groups to carry a “digital imprint” showing who is behind it.
Electoral reform campaigners said this “must be just the start” of “cleaning up” UK democracy.
The government’s plans will be published in full on Wednesday and then go out to public consultation.
Election leaflets and newspapers have to include who made and paid for the material, although there is no rule on how prominent this branding should be – and all three major UK-wide parties were criticised at last year’s general election for mimicking local newspapers or official letters.
But there has been a huge shift away from leaflets and newspapers towards online advertising, going up from 3% of total spend in 2011 to 42.8% in 2017, according the most recent Electoral Commission figures.
‘Wild West’
Online political advertising is largely unregulated in the UK and campaign material is not required by law to be truthful or factually accurate, or to say who is paying for it.
Last year the Electoral Reform Society, which campaigns for changes to the voting system, described it as being like the “Wild West” and subject to rules stuck in the “analogue age”.
The Conservative Party has itself been accused of misleading voters when it rebranded its press office Twitter account as Fact Check UK during a TV debate at the 2019 general election.
The then party chairman James Cleverly said the Twitter feed had been clearly labelled “CCHQ press”.
There has also been growing concern about interference in UK political messaging from abroad, initially during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.
‘Value transparency’
Last month Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said it was “almost certain” that Russians had sought to influence the 2019 general election.
Unveiling the government proposals, promised in last year’s Queen’s Speech, constitutional affairs minister Chloe Smith said: “Voters value transparency.
“So we must ensure that there are clear rules to help them see who is behind campaign content online.”
She claimed these would help create “one of the most comprehensive sets of regulations operating in the world today”.
‘Organic content’
Under the government’s plans, a “digital imprint” would have to be displayed as part of online content – such as a video or a graphic.
But the government says that “where this is not possible” it should be located in an “accessible alternative location linked to the material”.
Ministers want registered political parties, registered third parties, political candidates, elected office holders and registered referendum campaigners to put an imprint on their digital campaign material whether it is paid-for advertising or “organic” content – where no professional advertiser is paid to promote and distribute it.
For unregistered campaigners, this would apply only to paid-for content.
More details of what this could mean in practice are expected when the full consultation document is published on Wednesday.
‘Bare minimum’
But the rules will cover all campaign-related content, whichever country it was produced in – and will apply all the time, not just during elections and referendums.
The government argues this would allow the Electoral Commission to “better monitor who is promoting election material and enforce the spending rules,” which prevent foreign donations.
Darren Hughes, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said: “For too long, our democracy has been wide open to anonymous ‘dark ads’, dodgy donors, and foreign interference online.
“This won’t solve all that, but it will help to plug one of the many leaks in HMS Democracy.”
He added that “strong sanctions” were needed for those who broke the rules and that ministers “must not be able to pass the buck to Silicon Valley giants”.
Alex Tait, co-founder of the Coalition for Reform in Political Advertising, said: “The consultation on imprints is certainly welcome but this is the bare minimum that the government could be doing to modernise electoral regulation.”
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
